


angel with black wings and a crooked halo

by toomanybiasestocount



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angels, Angst, Attempt at Humor, Childhood Friends, Disappearance, Falling In Love, Fluff, Growing Up, Human Experimentation, I promise every member shows up it just might take a few chapters, Kidnapping, M/M, Rescue, Supernatural Elements, Superpowers, Unrequited Love, ot18
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-16
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-07-12 22:20:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16004474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toomanybiasestocount/pseuds/toomanybiasestocount
Summary: Once, the disappearance of a young boy, Lee Donghyuck, had haunted the lives of everyone person in the town. Parents feared that their child would be next. Children mourned the loss of a friend. Families left town in search of a safer neighbourhood. The town seemed as though it would never be the same again.Five years later, almost everyone had forgotten about what had happened, the young boy was nothing but a distant memory. The town and everyone in it had long since moved on with their lives, and no one gave any thought to the mysteriously lost boy. That is until a familiar face moves back into to town and strange dreams plague those who were closest to him.





	1. little do you know

**Author's Note:**

> I saw fanart of Haechan with wings (which I cannot find now for the life of me) and this story just kind of happened... so yeah hope you enjoy!!

 

“Mark where are you even going?”

 

“I’m looking for help... In case you forgot, our car broke down.” Mark brushed the leaves out of his path, the branch swinging back into position, narrowly missing the younger’s head.

 

“Yeah okay, but walking through the woods in the dark sounds like we’re gonna find more trouble than help!” It wasn’t like they had much of a choice though. Their car had broken down on the side of a narrow back road, and all attempts to call for help were futile due to a lack of service.

 

“Relax Jeno. We’ll walk for five more minutes then head back… I promise.” Jeno huffed in annoyance before following. Someone remind why he listened to Mark’s crazy plans all the goddamn time. The pair silently trudged through the forest, dodging wayward branches as they moved. Jeno only hoped that the crunch of leaves beneath their feet wasn’t loud enough to draw attention. The last thing he wanted was to become some creature’s midnight snack.

 

“Mark it’s been five minutes. Can we head back now.” Jeno called to the boy ahead of him, but the older remained still. “Mark? You all good man?” He carefully crept up the hill towards the boy. “Mark?”

 

“What. What is that place?” His voice wavered with every word, his body shaking. “That, that shouldn’t, be. There. Should it?”

 

Jeno’s blood turned to ice at the site of the building. He lost control as his breathing picked up, struggling to pull air into his lungs.

 

“Mark please… we should get out of here.” Hands shaking, he wrapped his fingers around the other’s arm. “Now!”

 

“Wait.” Mark was frozen where he stood.

 

“Wait for what?!” He tugged at his arm. “That place looks like death, and I am not staying here for one more second.”

 

“That place, there’s something inside.”

 

“Yes Mark, it’s a building. Buildings have things inside of them, but we don’t need to know what’s inside this one.” He was physically pulling the golden-haired boy down the hill. “Now let’s go, I don’t want to die tonight.”

 

After about fifteen minutes of struggling, Jeno finally managed to drag them both back to their car. Even with the cursed building out of site, he still felt its grasp around his lungs, forbidding any air from entering. Why had the building brought so much pain and dread to his heart? That didn’t matter right now. What mattered was getting home, as far away from this place as possible.

 

Of course, that would require their car could actually function, or that they could find service. Looking at his phone, Jeno scrolled through his contacts, praying that his phone would connect.

 

One ring

 

Two rings

 

Three rings.

 

Jeno was losing hope, his hyung usually picked up by now.

 

  
_“YAH! Lee Jeno! Where on God’s good earth are you.”_

 

He sighed. HIs brother overreacted way too much. _“Hyung.”_

_“I’ve been trying to call you for hours.”_

_“Doyoung-hyung calm down.”_ He was being a little much, but an angry hyung was never good. Jeno didn’t have a death wish.

 

_“Start talking.”_

 

_“Okay Mark and I were driving back from the show, but then our car broke down on some weird back road and we couldn’t get any service until now.”_

 

_“Ok fine,” Jeno could hear the older’s eyes roll. “You’re excused. Where are you guys I’ll come get you.”_

 

“Uhh, one sec let me check the map.” Jeno pretended not to hear the shouts from his hyung through the line as he turned to Mark. “Yo hyung, any idea how to tell Doyoung-hyung where we are? and you’re asleep. Wow. Thanks, hyung. Real helpful”

 

_“Ok hyung, we’re by uh, we’re on the road leading towards the old church? You know what I’m talking about?”_

_“Yeah I do, I’ll be there in as soon as can.”_

_“Ahh thanks so much hyung, I owe you one.”_

 

“ _You bet you do punk.”_

 

Jeno shut his phone off and pocketed it. Closing his eyes, Jeno listened to the flapping of birds’ wings before he drifted off into unconsciousness.

 

\---

 

Banging on the car window shocked both Jeno and Mark out of their slumber, Mark hitting his head on the roof of the car out of fright. Eyes bleary he rubbed the top of his head in pain.

 

“Yah Lee Jeno, open this door so I can help you dimwits get home.” Groggily Jeno unlocked the car door for his brother. “So what’s the problem?”

 

“We don’t know actually.” The two boys looked at Doyoung with sheepish grins on their faces. The older boy just face-palmed, his fingers moving to rub at his temples.

 

“So you’re telling me… that your car broke down... and yOU DON’T KNOW WHY?” The younger boys cowered back, mildly terrified by the older. “Did you try starting the engine?” Doyoung reached over his brother towards the ignition.

 

“Of course we tri-.” Jeno was cut off by the abrupt thrum from the front of the car. “WHAT?!” his eyes widened in shock

 

Doyoung looked unamused, his eyes half-lidded as he glared at Jeno before turning to walk away. “Well, I think I fixed your car troubles.”

 

Jeno scrambled to chase after him, almost tripping over his own two feet. Mark was too lost to even move from his seat. “No no no, that didn’t. That wasn’t. The car wouldn’t start. We. w-we. We tried.”

 

“Jeno? You don’t think that building had anything to do with it.?” Jeno shivered at the thought of that place, but Mark could be right. The two boys locked eyes with each other, worry bleeding from their eyes.

 

“So... how drunk are you two exactly?"

 

“No, hyung, we’re not drunk.”

 

He gripped his younger brother’s shoulders. “Jeno relax. I’m not gonna kill you. I snuck out plenty of times to go drinking with my friends.” The younger brushed the hands away. “No hyung! Listen.”

 

“Although I never did try to drive after I did that.” The purple haired boy glared at Jeno from the corner of his eyes. “Oh Jeno, you are so dead if mom finds out about this.”

 

“Well, then it’s a good thing I WASN’T DRINKING. Unlike you, you asshat.” Jeno tried to ignore the grunt of disapproval from his brother. “There was this building in the woods… Uh... Here follow me.” He took off back into the woods, feet retracing the path they had made earlier. He never thought he’d be running back towards the source of such great terror, but the more he ran, the further away he felt it get. There was no sign of the building anywhere.

 

The hill overlooking it was no longer covered in mist. Instead, leaves blew across the path, wind whistling through the trees. There was nothing but trees. Nothing out of place at all. Had he been imagining it all? No definitely not… That fear was real. If nothing else, the pure terror and anguish he felt emanating from that place were real.

 

“What? It was right here. Right over that hill. Right Mark? I’m not crazy right?”

 

“Yeah, it should be right here. I remember that tree.” The older was pale as a sheet. His eyes were wide, dark shadows cast over his face. Jeno could see the starlight glimmering in his eyes.

 

Doyoung stood behind them, arms crossed and eyebrows raised. “Yeah, you two are clearly drunk. We’re going home now. I’m driving. You can come get your car once you’re not delusional.”

 

Defeated, Jeno turned around and followed his brother.

 

The walk back to the road was silent aside from the crunch of leaves and the flapping of wings. Neither spoke a word, both questioning how something could disappear out of thin air. Had they really just imagined it all. That fear felt so real though?

 

  
“By the way... Did you guys hear?” Both boys turned to face Doyoung. “Jaehyun’s coming back.”

 

“…Damn.” Jeno tried not to notice the way Mark stiffened at the words.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“How long’s it been now?” Jeno’s voice was timid, afraid of saying the wrong thing.

 

“Five years.” Had it really been that long? It sure didn’t feel like it to Jeno, but maybe, maybe it did. In a way,

 

No matter what Doyoung had said, Jeno would have believed it. Nothing about what happened felt real. He still thought he was dreaming, that one day he would wake up and everything would be normal again.

 

A pipe dream. Unfortunately, that’s what it was. He knew he could never change what had happened. They all wanted to, no doubt about it, but they were all useless. Powerless in the face of evil. the unknown. They were all so young. He’s not sure any of them actually would have been capable of doing anything.

 

But if he had a chance to go back, no doubt about it, he would fight until he couldn’t stop. He’d fight through blood, dying muscles, and broken bones. Anything to bring--

 

“He’d be 17 now wouldn’t he?” The brothers turned back to look at the brown haired boy. Both of them cautious.

 

“Why’d he come back Doyoung-hyung? Why now of all times.” The rawness of his voice scared Jeno. He hadn’t seen Mark this way in almost three years. If Jaehyun coming back affected Mark this badly, how was it going to affect everyone else?

 

“Maybe he finally moved on. I doubt it though. He probably came back for his parents. It has been five years since he’s seen them”

 

No matter how hard he tried to hide it, Jeno could hear the desperation in his hyung’s voice. Jaehyun was a tough topic for all of them. The final memories with the boy were never the best, but Jeno will never forget the heartbreak in his hyung’s eyes when he walked through those doors to the airport. “You sure he didn’t come back because of something… someone else?”

 

“Who knows Jeno, Who knows.” Jeno wasn’t sure about a lot of things right now, but he knew one thing. His town. His home was about to be royally fucked. For better or for worse.

 

comfortable silence washed over the car once again as they drove through the night. As they drove up to his house, Mark left the car with nothing but a short wave. Jeno could tell the news of Jaehyun returning reminded him of the past, the few words the older had said were an obvious indicator. He just hopes the older wouldn’t fall into depression like he had before.

 

As soon as he got home, Jeno didn’t hesitate before curling up under his blankets, not even bothering to change out of his clothes. He was exhausted and no one could force him out of his bed. Rolling over onto his back something pressed into his skin, scratching and tickling as he moved. Reaching behind his back, his hand latched onto a small object. Pulling it into sight, he saw a large, white feather. Much too large for any bird.

 

Carefully, he placed the feather on his table before collapsing back onto his bed. He could figure out where the feather came from tomorrow. Right now he was dead tired and in desperate need of some sleep.

 


	2. Walk on Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it begins...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> school is still crazy busy but I had a little time to write this so I hope you enjoy!
> 
> :D

**Heart racing, Jeno sprinted through the woods. growls and gunshots behind him. Following him. His lungs gasped for air, insides burning, but he had no time to rest. His bare feet were pounding against the ground. Racing at a pace he wasn’t sure he could ever really run at. They were getting closer to him every second. If he stopped now, there’s no way he would survive. So he kept running.**

 

**Though, No matter how much he ran, they never seemed to catch up. Every time he heard their voices getting closer, they dwindled away into silence. Silence. And then boom! Deep voices called commandments through the heavy, humid air. Voices shouting, “Catch him!” “Don’t let him get any further.” shook him to his core. He longed for an escape. He wanted to go faster, but something was stopping him.**

 

**The voices sounded as though they were chasing after a wild animal, but they weren’t. They were chasing him. An innocent 17-year-old. He wasn’t some wild animal. He hadn’t stolen anything and made off with it in the night. He wasn’t a prized possession that needed to be tracked down.**

 

**So why was he being chased?**

 

**Why was he running for his life when he did nothing wrong? Why were his feet not letting him stop?**

 

**Without warning, he felt a flash course through his entire body. He felt an unbearable heat burning at his insides. The pain paralyzed him, every nerve in his body writhing in agony. He couldn’t run anymore. The pain was too great, and his legs would no longer move. He crumpled to the floor, rocks scraping his hands and knees as he fell. Hot tears trickled down his face, mixing with the sweat and grime coating his skin.**

 

**Suddenly, an arm wrapped around his waist, lifting him off the ground and crushing his ribs.**

 

**“There you are little one.” Hot breath tickled the back of his neck as cool metal sent shivers down his spine. “Don’t try to move, it won’t do you any good. You should know how painful a bullet wound is to recover from my little angel.”**

 

**“Fuck you.” Jeno felt the words spit out of his mouth, but nothing in him had the courage to speak. His voice was raspy and almost inaudible. It hurt to even say a word.**

 

**“Ah ah ah. Such nasty language for such a precious little creature.” Jeno felt the barrel of the gun push harder into his forehead. “Do I need to teach my little angel some manners again?” His heart tightened at the words. The pet name alone struck a chord of disgust. He wasn’t some innocent little creature. He wasn’t someone’s precious little darling.**

 

**Jeno felt himself flip around, knocking the gun away from the man’s hand and into his own. Gun aimed towards his assailant, Jeno slowly stepped away.**

 

**“You wouldn’t dare. Without me you’re nothing. Nothing but a useless little test subject. A failed lab experiment that no one wants anymore. Tossed out with the trash.” Jeno felt tears slip down his face in anger. The man wasn’t the least bit afraid. He was aiming a gun directly at the man and nothing. Just nothing.**

 

**“You’re wrong! If I shoot you, I can finally go home.”** **_Home? Where is home?_ **

 

**“Like they’d ever want you back there. They’ve all moved on. They’d probably only be horrified to see what you’ve become.” The man moved closer with every word. “To them, you’re nothing but a monster.” With nothing but a whisper, the man took the gun from his grasp, Jeno making no effort to stop him.**

 

**As he raised the gun Jeno knew he should be terrified. Tears were pouring down his face and yet he felt nothing. Not even a hint of sadness.**

 

**“Goodnight. My precious little Haechan.”**

 

**\---**

 

Jeno bolted up in bed, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He looked around, taking in the pale blue walls of his bedroom scattered with hundreds of photos. Right he wasn’t in the forest anymore. No that was only a dream. 

 

But if that was a dream...

 

“Haechan?” Jeno whispered. “Who the hell is Haechan?!”

 

“Jeno are you up yet honey?” His mother’s voice was muffled by his bedroom door.

 

“Yeah, mom! I’ll be down in a bit.” He really had no motivation to get out of bed, but his mother really didn’t need to know that. On some off chance Doyoung mentioned his “drunkenness” last night, the last thing he wanted was his mother thinking he was nursing some nasty hangover.

 

“Well, Mark’s here.” Just as he heard his mother, the door to his room clicked open.

 

“Hey man,” Jeno grunted in response.

 

“Tough night?”

 

“Hyung you should know, I was with you for literally all of it.” Jeno rubbed at his eyes, hoping to wake himself up faster.

 

“I don’t mean the forest. Well I mean I do. Just. Just not? us? In the forest?” 

 

“Hyung what in the world are you talking about?”

 

The older was shuffling his feet side to side. Hands clasping and unclasping almost every second.“Did you have like? I don’t know.” The boy refused to make eye contact as words flew from his mouth “A weird dream that may or may not have involved running for your life in the forest. Just me K great I’ll um shut up now.” 

 

Mark turned to leave, but Jeno stopped him before he could race away down the stairs. “Woah Woah Woah, calm down. Repeat? slower... Please.”

 

“Did…... you... Have... a... Dream... Last. night...” Mark held out a pause between each word, a grin growing on his face.

 

“Not that slow ya dingus.”

 

“Ok  _ fine _ then.” The boy jokingly huffed as he crossed his arms. 

 

“What happened in your dream?” Curiosity clawed at the back of his mind. 

 

“Okay, so I was in the forest, probably around the same spot where we broke down last night, and um. And I was being chased by a large group of men and some dogs? I think? I could hear them barking but I never saw them. Anyway, I kept running because I was so afraid of what would happen if they caught me. My lungs were ready to kill me, but I kept going. Then eventually, I’m not sure how one of them caught up with me. He. He seemed like. It was weird. He kept calling me precious and an angel. Overall he was just a creep, like sketchy, guy in an alley kind of creep, I felt ready to run and I was going to. But I was frozen in my spot. I could only watch as this man, whoever he was pointed his gun and me and fired. And he called me some name.”

 

“Haechan.” Jeno murmured under his breath.

 

“That’s it. Wait how do you know that name?” Mark’s pupils were shaking.

 

“That’s what the man called me before he shot me... Haechan.” The name felt so familiar and yet it was unrecognizable. No one they knew even had the nickname Haechan. 

 

“What do you think that dream was?” Mark was biting his nails, eyes darting all around the room.

 

“I’m not sure, it didn’t feel like a dream though. It felt more like…”

 

“A memory?” Jeno nodded. “Yeah me too. But whoever this Haechan person is, they’d be dead by now. I mean they got shot for fucks sake.”

 

“They might not be though. We have no clue where they were shot., or if they were at all. We only know that a gun went off and it fired in our direction.”

 

“Hyung, we should go back there.” Jeno bolted up from his bed. “We have to go back to get your car anyway, and as much as I hate it, that building intrigues me.”

 

“Jeno, I’m not so sure.” The older rubbed at the back of his neck, retreating towards the now closed door. 

 

“Just… think about it ok?” Mark nodded and walked downstairs. “Come on Jeno. Let’s eat!”


	3. unsteady

The two spent the day lounging around the house, playing video games and watching movies. The strange dream was forgotten. 

 

They were in the middle of Along With the Gods when the doorbell rang. At first Jeno thought he had imagined it, or it was just some stupid prank. But the ringing became more frequent and groaning, Jeno carefully maneuvered himself out from under the blankets. Standing up, he made his way to the door,  The floor creaking under his feet every step he took. He tried to look through the windows so see who could possibly be there, but all that was visible was a the shoulder of a green bomber jacket. 

 

The doorbell kept ringing.

 

“YAH! I’m coming.” Jeno swung the door open. A blur of red rushed past his eyes and into his house. “Hey wait what are you!” He slammed the door shut and ran after the intruder. He heard the figure rummaging around upstairs and ran over to Mark.

 

“Mark dude, someone just broke in.” He whispered for fear of the intruder hearing him. 

 

“They what?!” Mark shot up off the couch, eyes wide with panic. “What if it’s the guy with the gun. The creepy ‘Do I need to teach my little angel some manners’ guy!” 

 

The pair carefully snuck into the kitchen. Jeno quitely rummaging around to find some kind of weapon. The clattering of pans with every move only raised the level of anxiety in the air. A sudden tap on his shoulder had Jeno collapsing on the ground. He looked up from the floor at a smirking Mark holding a frying pan and a knife. “Which one do you want dude?”

 

Jeno pointed with a trembling hand towards the frying pan. Mark handed him the pan and pulled him up off the ground. Jeno lead as they tiptoed over to the stairs which the intruder had run up not five minutes ago. 

 

“Wait Mark, Doyoung is up there what if the guy like killed him something.” He cursed. “What the hell am I gonna do if he killed my brother. How do I explain that to my parents.” Mark laid his non knife wielding hand on his shoulder.

 

“Hey hey hey, calm down. If the intruder had killed him we would’ve heard something. You’re brother would scream if someone so much as opened his door without knocking.” Jeno took a deep breath. His nerves a little more relaxed.

 

With the sound of footsteps at the top of the stairs the boys resumed their attack positions. Without hesitation Jeno screamed and swung his frying pan just as the intruder bounded down the stairs. 

 

“Oh my god what the heck!” The steps faltered as the figure slipped on the last step from shock. He slid down the stairs landed at the pair’s feet. “Is that a knife?!” 

 

“Taeyong hyung what are you doing here?” Jeno lowered his weapon to rest it at his side. Mark silently laughed as he backed up to put the knife down on a table. 

 

“Better question. Why were you two trying to attack me. Mark why did you have a freaking knife. How were you gonna explain to Mom and Dad if I came home with a stab wound or died?” Taeyong still sad shocked on the floor. Mark only continued laughing.

 

“Jeno though you were a crazy robber hyung. You just ran past him without any warning.” Jeno sunk down, his shoulder creeping up towards his ear, eyes downcast. He offered a hand to Taeyong to help him up off the floor.

 

“You still never answered my question hyung.” Jeno asked after Taeyong was standing, brushing down his shirt. “Why are you here? Not that you aren’t welcome just you usually call Doyoung and he answers the door.”

 

“Oh yeah.” Taeyong brushed a hand through his red locks. “I just had some crazy news that I didn’t think he’d want to hear over the phone. Thought it’d be better in person. I was just a little stressed that’s why I barreled past you.”

 

“What kind of news?” They both said in sync.

 

“First of all. Creepy. Stop doing the weird twin stuff I get enough of that with Johnny and Taeil. Second. It’s about Jaehyun.”

 

“He’s back.” Taeyong only stared at Jeno when he spoke.

 

“Yeah wait how’d you know?”

 

“Doyoung-hyung told us both last night when he came to pick Mark and I up.” 

 

Taeyong calmy rolled his fingers into a fist. “That little shit. Why didn’t he tell  _ me _ . Here I am thinking that I need to warn him so he doesn’t go into a state of shock when he sees him and he already knows.” He softly tilted his head to the side. “Well I mean it does explain why he didn’t seem that surprised when I mentioned his name.”

 

Mark walked up to his brother, snapping him out of his little self commentary. “Hyung was there anything else or is it just that Jaehyun’s back cause that’s kinda old news.”

 

“Jaehyun wants to see me” Doyoung’s voice echoed through the hallway as he walked down the stairs. “Surprise surprise.”

 

He sat down on the last step as Taeyong tried to explain. “He texted me a really long paragraph this morning about how he missed everyone and the past five years being really hard and how he’s sorry he lost touch. Then… he said that he wanted to get the gang back together or whatever but he wanted to talk to Doyoung first to figure things out or whatever. So being a sane human being I said ‘why are you asking me go talk to him yourself you big dummy’, but Jaehyun said that Doyoung had him blocked and now we’re here.” Taeyong gestured in slight annoyance as a tight smile formed on his face.

 

“That man can go jump off a cliff for all I care I’m not talking to him.” Doyoung stared forward, eyes cold.

 

“Okay that’s a little aggressive Doyoung.” Taeyong walked over to his friend. “No one said you had to forgive him he just wants to talk.” He sat down beside him, hands rubbing circles over his back.

 

Jeno felt a little bit like an intruder, but he also needed to know how to help his hyung. If he doesn’t want to talk that’s fine. Jeno just wants to know.

 

“No hyung you don’t understand. If I talk to him he’s gonna spew fifty billion excuses and then moan about how he was grieving. Then he’ll give one of his sad little smiles, and I’m gonna end up saying everything is fine when it’s just not. It wasn’t then and it’s isn’t now. I’m not ready to go through all of that again Taeyong-hyung. I’m. I’m just not ready for that.” He was clearly holding back some tears in his eyes. 

 

Jeno fully understood what his brother meant. He watched as Jaehyun took a little bit of his brother for himself every day, and once he was done taking, he threw them away. He broke his brother and left him scattered in the wind  Five years later Doyoung finally manage to gathered up all those lost fragments. He wasn’t gonna let Jaehyun hurt his brother. Not again.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it has taken me literal months to post but here's a new chapter!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really busy because of school but I promise to try and update frequently!!
> 
> Any and all comments/kudos are greatly appreciated, I love reading them ^-^


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